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Manke
John A Manke American Pilot Test Pilot. Born 13 November 1931.

Personal: Male. Born in Selby, South Dakota, USA.

Astronaut Career

Astronaut Group: Test Pilot (NASA). Inactive

NASA Official Biography

John Manke was a Director of Flight Operations for the NASA Ames Research Center, which at the time included the Ames facility at Moffett Field, Calif., and Dryden Flight Research Facility at Edwards, Calif. He was Chief of Flight Operations at Dryden prior to its integration with Ames Research Center in October 1981, and continued in that capacity until his retirement on April 27, 1984.

Dryden resumed full Center status separate from Ames on October 1, 1994.

Manke was hired by NASA on May 25, 1962, as a flight research engineer. He was later assigned to the pilots office and flew various support aircraft including the F-104, F5D, F-111 and C-47. On May 28, 1968 he flew the HL-10. It was his first of a record 42 flights in Lifting Bodies.

The wingless Lifting Bodies demonstrated the ability to maneuver and safely land a vehicle with a shape that was designed for space flight. This research provided data and flight techniques used for the Space Shuttle. Manke's first flight in the HL-10 was a glide flight; but most of subsequent Lifting Body flights were rocket-powered. He flew the HL-10 ten times (including the first supersonic flight in a Lifting Body, on May 9, 1969), the M2-F3 four times, the X-24A twelve times, and the X-24B sixteen times. His last flight of one of these aircraft was on August 5, 1975, in the X-24B.

Manke was born in Selby, S. Dak., November 13, 1931. He attended the University of South Dakota before joining the US Navy in 1951. He was selected for the NROTC program and graduated from Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wis. in 1956 with a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering.

Following graduation Manke entered flight training and served as a fighter pilot with the US Marine Corps. He left the service in 1960 and worked for Honeywell Corporation as a test engineer for two years before coming to NASA.

Manke is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. In his spare time he has built and flown his own light airplane and glider, and flown radio-controlled model aircraft.

Manke Chronology

28 May 1968 - HL-10 Flight 7. Maximum Speed - 698 kph. Maximum Altitude - 13720 m. Flight Time - 245 sec.

11 June 1968 - HL-10 Flight 8. Maximum Speed - 697 kph. Maximum Altitude - 13720 m. Flight Time - 246 sec.
3 October 1968 - HL-10 Flight 11. Maximum Speed - 758 kph. Maximum Altitude - 13720 m. Flight Time - 243 sec.
13 November 1968 - HL-10 Flight 13. 2 chambers, 186-sec powered flight. Maximum Speed - 843 kph. Maximum Altitude - 13000 m. Flight Time - 385 sec.
17 April 1969 - HL-10 Flight 15. 3 chambers. Maximum Speed - 973 kph. Maximum Altitude - 16070 m. Flight Time - 400 sec.
9 May 1969 - HL-10 Flight 17. 3 chambers, first supersonic. Maximum Speed - 1197 kph. Maximum Altitude - 16250 m. Flight Time - 410 sec.
28 May 1969 - HL-10 Flight 19. 2 chambers. Maximum Speed - 1311 kph. Maximum Altitude - 18960 m. Flight Time - 398 sec.
19 June 1969 - HL-10 Flight 21. 2 chambers. Maximum Speed - 1483 kph. Maximum Altitude - 19540 m. Flight Time - 378 sec.
6 August 1969 - HL-10 Flight 23. First 4-chambered flight. Maximum Speed - 1641 kph. Maximum Altitude - 23190 m. Flight Time - 372 sec.
18 September 1969 - HL-10 Flight 25. 4 chambers. Maximum Speed - 1340 kph. Maximum Altitude - 24140 m. Flight Time - 426 sec.
22 October 1969 - X-24 Flight 6. Glide. Maximum Speed - 623 kph. Maximum Altitude - 12190 m. Flight Time - 238 sec.
2 April 1970 - X-24 Flight 11. Maximum Speed - 919 kph. Maximum Altitude - 17892 m. Flight Time - 435 sec.
14 May 1970 - X-24 Flight 13. 2 chambers. Maximum Speed - 795 kph. Maximum Altitude - 13594 m. Flight Time - 513 sec.
17 June 1970 - X-24 Flight 14. Maximum Speed - 1051 kph. Maximum Altitude - 18593 m. Flight Time - 432 sec.
11 August 1970 - X-24 Flight 16. Maximum Speed - 1047 kph. Maximum Altitude - 19477 m. Flight Time - 413 sec.
14 October 1970 - X-24 Flight 18. First supersonic flight. Maximum Speed - 1261 kph. Maximum Altitude - 20696 m. Flight Time - 411 sec.
27 October 1970 - X-24 Flight 19. Maximum Speed - 1446 kph. Maximum Altitude - 21763 m. Flight Time - 417 sec.
21 January 1971 - X-24 Flight 21. Maximum Speed - 1093 kph. Maximum Altitude - 15819 m. Flight Time - 462 sec.
18 February 1971 - X-24 Flight 23. Maximum Speed - 1606 kph. Maximum Altitude - 20544 m. Flight Time - 447 sec.
29 March 1971 - X-24 Flight 25. Fastest X-24 flight. Maximum Speed - 1667 kph. Maximum Altitude - 21488 m. Flight Time - 446 sec.
25 May 1971 - X-24 Flight 27. 3 chambers. Maximum Speed - 1265 kph. Maximum Altitude - 19903 m. Flight Time - 548 sec.
4 June 1971 - X-24 Flight 28. Final X-24A flight. Maximum Speed - 867 kph. Maximum Altitude - 16581 m. Flight Time - 517 sec.
19 October 1972 - M2 Flight 36. Maximum Speed - 961 kph. Maximum Altitude - 14360 m. Flight Time - 359 sec.
1 November 1972 - M2 Flight 37. Maximum Speed - 1292 kph. Maximum Altitude - 21730 m. Flight Time - 378 sec.
21 November 1972 - M2 Flight 39. Maximum Speed - 1524 kph. Maximum Altitude - 20330 m. Flight Time - 377 sec.
21 December 1972 - M2 Flight 43. Last M2-F3 flight, also highest. Maximum Speed - 1377 kph. Maximum Altitude - 21790 m. Flight Time - 390 sec.
1 August 1973 - X-24 Flight 29. First glide flight. Maximum Speed - 740 kph. Maximum Altitude - 12190 m. Flight Time - 252 sec.
17 August 1973 - X-24 Flight 30. Maximum Speed - 722 kph. Maximum Altitude - 13720 m. Flight Time - 267 sec.
31 August 1973 - X-24 Flight 31. Maximum Speed - 771 kph. Maximum Altitude - 13720 m. Flight Time - 277 sec.
18 September 1973 - X-24 Flight 32. Maximum Speed - 724 kph. Maximum Altitude - 13720 m. Flight Time - 271 sec.
15 November 1973 - X-24 Flight 34. First power flight. Maximum Speed - 961 kph. Maximum Altitude - 16080 m. Flight Time - 404 sec.
12 December 1973 - X-24 Flight 35. Maximum Speed - 1038 kph. Maximum Altitude - 19080 m. Flight Time - 434 sec.
5 March 1974 - X-24 Flight 37. First supersonic flight. Maximum Speed - 1139 kph. Maximum Altitude - 18390 m. Flight Time - 437 sec.
24 May 1974 - X-24 Flight 39. Maximum Speed - 1212 kph. Maximum Altitude - 17060 m. Flight Time - 448 sec.
28 June 1974 - X-24 Flight 41. Maximum Speed - 1480 kph. Maximum Altitude - 20770 m. Flight Time - 427 sec.
29 August 1974 - X-24 Flight 43. Maximum Speed - 1170 kph. Maximum Altitude - 22080 m. Flight Time - 467 sec.
15 November 1974 - X-24 Flight 45. Maximum Speed - 1722 kph. Maximum Altitude - 21960 m. Flight Time - 481 sec.
14 January 1975 - X-24 Flight 47. Maximum Speed - 1862 kph. Maximum Altitude - 22180 m. Flight Time - 477 sec.
18 April 1975 - X-24 Flight 49. Maximum Speed - 1279 kph. Maximum Altitude - 17650 m. Flight Time - 450 sec.
22 May 1975 - X-24 Flight 51. Max. altitude. Maximum Speed - 1744 kph. Maximum Altitude - 22370 m. Flight Time - 461 sec.
25 June 1975 - X-24 Flight 53. Maximum Speed - 1427 kph. Maximum Altitude - 17680 m. Flight Time - 426 sec.
5 August 1975 - X-24 Flight 55. Maximum Speed - 1381 kph. Maximum Altitude - 18290 m. Flight Time - 420 sec.
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